Terms Used In New Hampshire Revised Statutes > Chapter 266 - Equipment of Vehicles

• Accident: shall mean any event that results in injury or property damage attributable directly or indirectly to the motion of a motor vehicle or its load. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:1-a
• Alcohol: shall mean any substance containing any form of alcohol, including but not limited to, ethanol, methanol, propanol and isopropanol. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:3-a
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Automobile transporter: means any vehicle combination designed and used specifically for the transport of assembled vehicles capable of being driven on the highway. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:4-b
• Bicycle: shall mean every pedalled vehicle propelled by human power upon which any person may ride, except child's tricycles and similar devices. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:6
• biennially: when applied to meetings and elections in towns, shall mean the biennial meetings and elections required by law to be holden in the month of November biennially, dating from the commencement of biennial elections in 1878; and the word "annual" when applied to meetings and elections in towns, shall mean the annual meetings and elections required by law to be holden in the month of March. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:7
• Bus: shall mean every motor vehicle designed for carrying more than 10 passengers and used for transportation of persons; and every motor vehicle, other than a taxicab, designed and used for the transportation of persons for compensation. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:7
• Certificate: shall mean :
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:9
• Citation: shall mean any citation, summons, ticket or other document issued by an arresting officer for violation of a law, ordinance or rule, pertaining to motor vehicle traffic, ordering the arrested motorist to appear. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:10
• Combination vehicle: shall mean a combination of truck-tractor and semi-trailer, or a combination of truck-tractor, semi-trailer, and full trailer, being driven together as an articulated unit. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:11-a
• Commerce: shall mean :
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:12-a
• Commercial driver: shall mean a person who drives a commercial motor vehicle as defined in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:12
• Commercial motor vehicle: shall mean a motor vehicle or a combination of motor vehicles, used in commerce, to transport passengers or property if:
  (a) The vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more;
  (b) The vehicle has a gross combination weight rating or actual weight of 26,001 or more pounds, inclusive of any towed unit with gross vehicle weight rating or actual weight of more than 10,000 pounds;
  (c) The vehicle is designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver; or
  (d) The vehicle is of any size and is used in the transportation of hazardous materials required to be placarded under 49 C. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:12-e
• Commissioner: shall mean the commissioner of safety. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:13
• Construction equipment: shall mean all bulldozers, rollers, scrapers, graders, spreaders, pavers, bituminous mixers, retreading machines, compressors, power shovels, excavators, backhoes, wagons, concrete mixers, generators, message boards, wood chippers, bucket loaders, snow loaders, rooters, scarifiers and construction tractors, and such other items of equipment which in the opinion of the director should be classified as construction equipment. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:42
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Conviction: shall mean an adjudication of guilt which has not been annulled or vacated, a determination that a person has violated or failed to comply with the law in a court of original jurisdiction or an administrative proceeding, an unvacated forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure the person's appearance in court, a plea of guilty or nolo contendere accepted by the court, the payment of a fine or court costs, or the violation of a condition of release without bail, regardless of whether the penalty is rebated, suspended or otherwise affected by probation. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:14
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Custom vehicle: shall mean any motor vehicle that is at least 30 model years old and has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from non-original materials, but which is not a street rod and does not weigh more than 6,000 pounds. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:17-a
• Dealer: shall mean a retail vehicle dealer or an auto wholesale dealer. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:18
• Department: shall mean the department of safety of the state of New Hampshire. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:19
• Director: shall mean the director of the division of motor vehicles of the department of safety. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:20
• Division: shall mean the division of motor vehicles in the department of safety. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:22
• Driver: shall mean a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle as defined in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:25
• Emergency vehicles: shall mean all vehicles of fire departments and police departments, the state department of corrections, and such ambulances and emergency vehicles of municipal departments or public service corporations as authorized by the director. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:28
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• farm: means any land, buildings, or structures on or in which agriculture and farming activities are carried out or conducted and shall include the residence or residences of owners, occupants, or employees located on such land. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:32
• FMVSS: shall mean the federal motor vehicle safety standards as contained in the code of federal regulations (CFR). See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:35
• following: when used by way of reference to any section of these laws, shall mean the section next preceding or following that in which such reference is made, unless some other is expressly designated. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:13
• Full trailer: shall mean any trailer being towed behind a semi-trailer as part of a combination vehicle also known as twin-trailers or "double bottoms. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:37-a
• Garage: shall mean every place where 5 or more motor vehicles are stored or housed at any one time, except such places in which motor vehicles are kept by the owners thereof without payment for storage. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:38
• governor and council: shall mean the governor with the advice and consent of the council. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:31-a
• Grace period: The number of days you'll have to pay your bill for purchases in full without triggering a finance charge. ^{Source: Federal Reserve}
• Hazardous materials: shall mean hazardous materials as defined in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:40
• Heavy duty recovery vehicle: shall mean a wrecker that:
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:40-b
• Judgment: shall mean any judgment which shall have become final, rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction of any state, or of the United States. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:46
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
• License: shall mean any driver's license or any other license or permit to drive a vehicle issued under the laws of this state or a reciprocating state including:
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:48
• Light truck: shall mean any motor truck having no more than 2 axles. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:50
• Mobile service garage: shall mean a vehicle, whether motorized or non-motorized, designed specifically for the purpose of servicing motor vehicles and that:
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:56-b
• modified: means , but is not limited to, a substantial and material alteration or replacement of the engine, drive-train, suspension or brake system or alteration of the body which may be chopped, channelled, sectioned, filled or otherwise changed dimensionally from the original manufactured body. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:106-a
• month: shall mean a calendar month, and the word "year" a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; and the word "year" shall be equivalent to the expression "year of our Lord. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:8
• Moped: shall mean a motor-driven cycle whose speed attainable in one mile is 30 miles per hour or less; if an internal combustion engine is used, the piston displacement shall not exceed 50 cubic centimeters and the power-drive system shall not require the operator to shift gears. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:57
• Motor home: shall mean a self-propelled, completely self-contained vehicle that includes the conveniences of a home, including cooking, sleeping, and permanent sanitary facilities, and a driver's seat that is accessible in a walking position from the living quarters. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:58-a
• Motor truck: shall mean any truck of greater than 26,000 pounds manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating, or any motor vehicle equipped with other than pneumatic tires. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:59
• Motor vehicle: shall mean :
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:60
• Motor-driven cycle: shall mean any motorcycle or motor scooter with a motor which produces not to exceed 5 horse-power, and any bicycle with motor attached except any electric bicycle. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:65
• Motorcycle: shall mean every motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than 3 wheels in contact with the ground, but excluding electric bicycles, tractors, and mopeds. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:63
• Muffler: shall mean a device consisting of a series of chambers or baffleplates or other mechanical design for the purpose of receiving exhaust gases and effectively reducing noise. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:66
• OHRV: shall mean an off highway recreational vehicle. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:70
• Owner: shall mean :
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:72
• Person: shall mean the same as provided in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:74
• Place of business: shall mean the site, location or building within this state at which a person conducts the business in which he is engaged. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:76
• Police officer: shall mean any constable, peace officer, or other officer authorized to make arrests or serve process. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:78
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Private passenger vehicle: shall mean a motor vehicle, except motorcycles, tractors, snowmobiles, OHRV's and mopeds, which is designed and used for the purpose of transporting 10 persons or less and used for the transportation of human beings with their necessary personal belongings, and not exceeding 8,000 pounds in gross vehicle weight. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:81
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Recreation vehicle: shall mean a self-propelled or towed vehicle that is equipped to serve as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel purposes and is used solely as a family or personal conveyance. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:84-a
• Repairer: shall mean any person who is principally engaged in the motor vehicle business, but who is not a dealer and who has an established place of business. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:87
• Resident: shall mean a resident of the state as defined in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:88
• Revocation: shall mean the termination by formal action of the department or of a court of competent jurisdiction of a person's driver's license or privilege to drive on the ways of this state, or of any other license, registration or permit issued by the department. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:90
• road: shall include all bridges thereon. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:26
• Roadable aircraft: shall mean any aircraft capable of taking off and landing from a suitable airfield which is also designed to be driven on public roadways as a conveyance. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:91-a
• roadway: means that portion of a way improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, including the berm or shoulder where such berm or shoulder is used by persons riding bicycles or other human powered vehicles. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:75-b
• Safety glass: shall mean glass so treated or combined with other materials as to reduce, in comparison with ordinary sheet glass or plate glass, the likelihood of injury to persons by objects from external sources or by glass when the glass is cracked or broken. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:94
• School bus: shall mean a vehicle owned by a public or governmental agency, or a privately owned vehicle, including a station wagon, suburban, panel body vehicle and vehicles converted to a school bus, but excluding a passenger vehicle, employed solely in transporting school children to and from school or school activities by virtue of a contract with a municipality, municipal board or school board authorities. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:96
• Semi-trailer: shall mean a vehicle of the trailer type so designed and used in conjunction with a self-propelled vehicle that a considerable part of its own weight or that of its load rests upon and is carried by the towing vehicle, and not including a pair or set of wheels commonly used as an implement for other purposes than transportation, provided, however, that the word "semi-trailer" shall not include any vehicle as described in this section if used exclusively for agricultural purposes unless said vehicle be of the type constructed specifically to be towed by a tractor-type truck. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:98
• Sidecar: shall mean a one-wheel attachment to a motorcycle. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:99
• Single unit vehicle: shall mean a truck consisting of cab, chassis and body capable of carrying a load and not primarily designed for drawing other vehicles. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:100-a
• Snowmobile: shall mean any vehicle propelled by mechanical power that is designed to travel over ice or snow supported in part by skis, tracks, or cleats. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:102
• State: shall mean :
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:106
• Street rod: shall mean a vehicle, the body and frame of which were manufactured prior to the year 1949 and which has been modified for safe road use, or a replica thereof which has also been modified for safe road use. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:106-a
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Suspension: shall mean the temporary withdrawal by formal action of the department or of a court of competent jurisdiction of a person's driver's license or privilege to drive a vehicle on the ways of this state, or any other license, registration or permit issued by the department, which temporary withdrawal shall be for a period specifically designated by the department or court and until the reissuance of the license, registration, permit or privilege. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:107
• sworn: when applied to public officers required by the constitution to take oaths therein prescribed, shall refer to those oaths; when applied to other officers it shall mean sworn to the faithful discharge of the duties of their offices before a justice of the peace, or other person authorized to administer official oaths in such cases. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:25
• Tandem axle: shall mean 2 consecutive axles whose centers may be included between parallel vertical planes spaced at least 4 feet and not more than 10 feet apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle, except that for vehicles being driven on the interstate and defense highway system with a gross weight in excess of 73,280 pounds a tandem axle shall be limited to 2 or more consecutive axles whose centers may be included between parallel vertical planes spaced not less than 40 nor more than 96 inches apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:107-a
• Tractor: shall mean : any self-propelled vehicle designed or used for agricultural purposes or as a traveling power plant or for drawing other vehicles, but having no provision for carrying a load other than attached implements such as snowplows, tool boxes, or bucket loaders, but shall not include vehicles used for recreational purposes or agricultural/industrial utility vehicles as defined in N. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:108
• Traffic: shall mean pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars, and other conveyances either singly or together while using any way for purposes of travel. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:110
• Trailer: shall mean any vehicle without motive power designed for carrying property or passengers wholly on its own structure and for being drawn by a self-propelled vehicle, except those running exclusively on snow or on stationary tracks and vehicles used exclusively for agricultural purposes. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:113
• Transporter: shall mean :
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:114
• Tread depth: shall mean the amount of tread design on the tire. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:115
• Tridem: shall mean 3 consecutive axles, the centers of which, when measured between the first and third axles, may be included between parallel vertical planes spaced more than 8 feet apart, and which tridem unit measures less than 12 feet overall between the centers of extreme axles, extending across the full width of the vehicles; except that for vehicles being driven on the interstate and defense highway system with a gross weight in excess of 73,280 pounds, a tridem shall measure not less than 40 inches nor more than 96 inches between the parallel vertical planes. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:115-a
• Truck: shall mean every motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:115-b
• Truck-tractor: shall mean any vehicle designed and intended primarily for drawing other vehicles and not so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the vehicle and load so drawn, except that a truck-tractor engaged in the transportation of automobiles may transport motor vehicles on a part of the power unit. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:116
• United States: shall include said district and territories. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:4
• Vehicle: shall mean :
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:122
• Way: shall mean :
  I. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:125
• Wrecker: shall mean a motor vehicle of the truck type designed, manufactured, intended, or adapted primarily for the towing of vehicles upon a way. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 259:126